This photograph – of amphibious assault ship Peleliu’s mascot showing off some of his (or her?) latest dance moves to the amazement of school children in Timor-Leste – arrived in Scoop Deck’s inbox this week. For the scores of high-res photos that jam our mail servers, this one provided a sunny break from all things haze gray and underway.

The Peleliu Gator, as the mascot is called, has entertained crowds at college football games and homecomings, but on this deployment it reached out to young children at schools and orphanages in community service projects.

Peleliu and her San Diego-based crew took some breaks during “Crocodilo,” a bilateral training with Timor-Leste and Australia military forces, to reach out to local students. It was a blue-green effort, as a foursome of Marines with California-based 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is deployed as part of the Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group, serenaded the schoolkids.